Funded partnership will improve business analytics for many

A Staffordshire company are hoping a deep dive into artificial intelligence and machine learning will help them offer enhanced business analytics to their growing customer base.

Stafford-based Connexica have successfully applied for a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Staffordshire University which will give it access to expert knowledge and a recently qualified graduate in order to expand the capabilities of its platform and bring new solutions to the market.

The data management company, whose clients include the NHS, Premier League football clubs and a range of UK banks and building societies, are looking to enhance their existing CXAIR technology platform to provide sophisticated data modelling and next generation analytics in a way that is more accessible and easier to use than traditional approaches.

Associate Dean for Employer Partnerships and Enterprise Marek Hornak said: Artificial intelligence is expected to underpin almost all future technology, in particular for enhanced automation and decision making, and we are well equipped with research and academic expertise in machine learning, computational intelligence and data analytics to help Connexica to further develop and fine-tune its systems.

We’re delighted that our bid for a KTP with Connexica has been given the green light. Our University has a proud record of helping to deliver more than 100 KTPs which have had tangible benefits for the businesses involved including improved profits, new job creation and access to new markets.

Connexica Solutions Director Alex Hurley added: This is a really important project for the business and will be key to the delivery of our roadmap for the next five years. The introduction of the planned AI and machine learning capabilities, backed by the latest advances in data science, will enable us to keep our platform at the cutting edge and ultimately deliver better results to a wider range of clients.

Alongside our bigger clients, we provide services to a large number of SMEs who understand the benefits of business analytics and the need for accessible and actionable data but don’t have significant budgets to invest. This project will enable us to open up the technology to parts of the market for which it has previously been out of reach.

Alex explained that the Knowledge Transfer Partnership project, which is funded by UKRI through Innovate UK, will follow on from the help they received from Staffordshire University on a Staffordshire Digital Innovation Partnership last year.

He added: This complements the foundational work we’ve previously done in collaboration with the university and will enable us to complete it as we’ll have a graduate on our books for at least the next two years.

Using the new capabilities that we’ll be adding to the platform, we’ll be able to work with customers from each of the market sectors that we serve to develop a range of specific solutions that address common challenges. The solutions will then be available to others in the same marketplace.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) aim to help businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills within the UK knowledge base.